Assignment 9 – Feb 11

It seems that God cannot be confined to a single place or identity. The reason for this is that he does not appear to us with the characteristic of being one, but plural. According to Ratzinger, “He is not the God of a place but the God of men…He is therefore not bound to one spot but is present and powerful wherever man is” (123). He is regarded in a monotheistic manner but displays a more polytheistic nature. 

Furthermore, it is seemingly impossible to simply label God with just any simple name. Something must be well-understood for to properly receive a name, but to a person God always remains a fundamental mystery. In Exodus 3:14, when Moses asks God what he should refer to Him as, he responds, “I AM who I AM…Thus you shall say to the Israelites, I AM has sent me to you.” According to Ratzinger, God refers to himself (Yahweh) as He who is, as He whose being and world remains forever without interruption. It is not so important who God is, only that he is, and that he does and will continue to be. 

However, also according to Ratzinger, this changes once Jesus Christ comes into the picture. Because Jesus dwelled among us in a singular, human form, we can now address Him in a more singular nature (i.e., a name). Before, He only consisted in concept as a being infinitely greater and more abstract than we could really label. While this form of His existence still holds present even after the life of Jesus, He now exists in a form both greater than and equal to us, hence we can now address Him, Christ, with such a name.